Trolling harness



Jan. 26, 1954 J. w. BAUM TROLLING HARNESS Filed Oct. 30, 1950 I f? 723 24 4! 22 24 Zn" Patented Jan. 26, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in fishing tackle for underwater trolling, and, more particularly, to triggered, shock-absorbing, yieldable connectors or trolling releases joining the leader and fishing line and adapted to absorb the initial impact of the strike, before the tension on the leader is imposed on the fishing line. The invention also relates to a novel, weighted trolling harness for deep trolling with unweighted lures, and incorporating a two-piece trolling release which is dismembered when a strike is made.

In deep trolling for game fish considerable difficulty is encountered, even by adepts, in maintaining weighted lures at the desired depths below the surface. Additionally, the maintaining of the lures at the desired deep trolling depths, with the manipulation of the rod and line to maintain such depths, and to effectively hook game fish when the strike is made, requires a combination of the utmost skill and favorable circumstances.

I have found that the above enumerated difficulties can be essentially overcome by eliminating the weighting of the lure, and providing what I term a drop sinker triangle, in which a heavy, weighted line is secured to a boat, adjacent the anglers seat, and a second, relatively short line is connected to and between the heavy line and the leader to the lure. A two-piece trolling release connects the leader to the short line and is adapted to be automatically released when the strike is made at the lure, whereby the initial shock due to the strike is taken up in the lost motion triggering of the device, and the tension of the leader is transferred through the fishing line to the rod only when the strike is made.

It is, therefore, among the objects of the present invention to provide improved deep trolling fishing tackle with automatic depth maintenance, including a shock-absorbing, triggered release connecting the leader to the depth maintaining device and adapted, upon a strike being effected at the lure, to take up the initial impact, and to be unlatched, whereby to simultaneously transfer the pull of the fish to the fishing rod and to disconnect the leader from the depth maintaining device.

Other objects of the present invention include special, two-part, shock-absorbing triggered connectors or releases, and associated equipment in combination with trolling lines.

A further object of the invention is the provision of two-part, shock-absorbing, trolling releases having a restricted travel or yield, as well as such trolling releases with mutually detachable parts.

The above and other desirable objects of present invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the accompanying drawings and description thereof wherein preferred forms of the invention are shown and described, by way of illustration only, for, since the underlying features may be incorporated in other specific devices, it is not intended to be limited to the ones here shown except as such limitations are clearly imposed by the appended claims.

In the drawings, like numerals refer to similar parts throughoutthe several views of which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic showing of the mounting of the novel shock-absorbing, deep trolling tackle;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a fishing line and connections, after a strike is made;

Fig. 3 is a detail of a triggered trolling release of the light duty type directly connecting the fishing line from the rod to the leader of the lure;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the detachable triggered trolling release or connector of Figs. 1 and 2; and

Fig. 6 is a cross-section taken on line 6S of Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawings, a boat I, having sides 2 and stem 3, mounts a cleat or other securing member 4 adjacent the stern. To this cleat is secured a heavy line 5 which supports a sash weight or other like device 6 at its lower end. An adjustable eyelet "I is secured in place on the line 5, and at any predetermined distance, as will be described more in detail hereinafter. A fishing rod i0 is secured in place in the boat in any desired manner, as in a holder, and can be fixedly mounted, or removable for hand control. The fishing line H connects the rod to the leader l2 through swivel connector i3 and looped end 21 of the two-part, spring wire, triggerei trolling release 20. The other end of the trolling release 20 is connected to line l5, and heavy drag line 5, through connections l6 and l.

The separable, two-piece trolling release 20 comprises a shock-absorbing, trigger member 2 I, and a combination connector-latch member 22. The member 2| includes a straight body portion 23, of suitable length, having a free end 25, and looped on itself to form an eyelet 27, and extended laterally to form a shock-absorbing spring release or latch member 29. The member 22 comprises a rectilinear top portion 24 comprised of parallel legs 24a and 2422 joined in a continuous loop or eyelet 26. The longer leg, 24a, terminates in a hook 24', while the shorter leg 24b is bent downwardly and then horizontally to the rear,

is reversely bent at 28a, and as shown at 281), to terminate in a looped end 28, the turns of which are engaged and locked by hook 24'. A coiled keeper 22' is slidably mounted on and over section 24, eyelet 26 and section 22, serving as end stops therefor. The member 22 may also be formed of flat sheet metal, not shown, bent to shape on and over member 24.

The members 2! and 22 of trolling release 26 are desirably made of hard drawn wire of any rust-resistant metal, such as stainless steel or suitably protected spring brass. When the strike is made, section 2| will be detached from section 22, against the bias of latch mem ber 29, and the tension in leader l2 will be transferred through line H to the rod 16. The line H is connected to swivel connector 13 by loop M, which is flxedly connected to eyelet 2'! or trigger 'm'e'iber 2'I. With the strikef made, and the line in the condition shown in Fig. 2, there will be no extraneous equipment to interfere with the 'anjgler fig'htingthe fish, and the drag line and attachments can be drawn up into the boat, as shown, outjof the way. The heavy line 5 is of any desired length, and the short line l5 can desirably be of the order of feetlong. 'vVith thiscdmbination, and as shown Fig. l, th'e'line '5 will be carried rearwardly at an angle to the boat by the sash weight e, and the combination will'a'ct as a weed guard, thereby reducing possible snagging against underwater obstructions. This feature is of particular importance in bottom fishing 'as the leader and its as shown at 28. It then bent upwardly,

, lure are thereby protected. To'counteraot the tendency of the trolling release 2% to spin or twist while trolling, 'a sinker 36 may besecur'e'djon and jover latchmember 2S and held in place thereby. When the latch is released the sinker will be detached and may be permitted to fall to the bottom, being lost. Where it is desired to keep the ,"Sillkel"and "ll0t lose it, it may be'attached to aiine s t or relatively short length, and having "a looped. 'end or connection 32 slidably fitted on and over leader !2. With such "a devi'ce, when t e strike is made, the sinker will be carried-backer slide down to the hire, and there will bend possibility of its interference with the fighting or the game trolling for game "fish where the fishe man can have the sport oi v 'I QQ EW ary I trolling the improvements herein "the weighting of the burden is imposeden either th' q The invention herein, as described immediatefighting the fish warrant the usual weight at the lure. I I nti n al deep trolling practice,to secure the necess depth, the lure must be suitably weighted. By lure is entirely done away with elnd no added e fish o'r the fisherman. The trolling depthfas 1s -'1e'ad pparent from I the jdeseription herein will be determined by the position otconneotor 1 on the drag line 5. Leader 2 havinga lure lfls'ecu'ted thereto and connector it will ride relatively horizontal, and 'this condition can be jassured, as well as twisting 'oi the lines prevented, by utilizing a two-ounce sinker or the -like as a detachableweighting device for the triggered trolling release 20.

Where surface trolling isto be used, ar d-"as shown'in Fig. -3 -the -fi shin'g line 1'! i's'conn'ected to the leader 12 through the -trolling frel'ea'sl'e '28, the linejbeing secured to eyelet 2t r fthe tody portion 22, and the leader, -or rather its swivel connector :3, to the eyelet 2"! 0i latch member 2| of the release. As the tension on the line, during surface fishing, will not approximate the tension obtaining in deep trolling, the sections 2i and 22 of connector 2e may be secured or fastened for limited yielding movement rather than complete mutual detachment This is accomplished by forming the free end 25 of latch member in as an inturned hook 25, as shown in Fig. 3. With such a device, when a strike is made and member 2i is unlatched from connector 2 the leg 23 will be pulled rearwardly of the device, and its movement will be arrested when its hooked end 25' carries keeper 22 into engagement with section 22. In this condition the tension from the leader is transmitted directly to the fishing line through the connector which has subscrved its initial useful purpose of a snubber or shock absorber for avoiding a direct jerk on line H while insuring that the tension necessary for embedding the hook at the moment of the strike is Ifiected by the spring bias or tension of the latch member 29.

The novel trolling releases herein are, as previously noted, of two-part construction and mutually detachable or mutually yieldable and interlocking and can be made of any suitable rust pro'of spring wire, and in any desired gauge, depending upon the fishing conditions to be encountered. The complete or limited detachability of the "component parts of the connectors can be varied to suit the user, and the components can be separately fabricated and sold, with all parts interfitting, so that replacements can be readily made. The completely detachable member of Figs. 4- to 6 can be made interlocking by the simple expedient of looping the end 25 to form a hook 2 5", as shown in Fig. 3. The striking tensiondf the device can be regulated at will by suitably varying the configuration of spring latch member 29. All of these adjustments can be with a simple pliers by the fisherman at the time or" use. Thus, if it is found that a suitable fstrike cannot be made because of "mp1oper tension in the latch memher, the deficiency can be immediately remedied by bending the latch totheprdper shape.

To sum up, the novel drop sinker triangle of the present invention has the following advantages: It "can be used for deep trolling for game fish by releasing the sinker weight from the line, thereby giving the fisherman the sport of fighting a fish without 'a weight; using a short line from the sinker tothe leader the sinker will slide down to the lure where it will not interfere with the work of the sport of playing with the fish; the device can 'e used as a two-piece trolling release for very deep trolling; it can be manufactured and sold to the public at very reasonable cost and with trouble-free performance; it can be manufactured in various sizes for all types of underwater fishing; because of its twopart construction the spring trigger part may be sold as a seperate item to reduce the cost to the public it the trigger'should be lost or broken; the trigger is adjustable to any desired tension by bending assa lt 'the hook setting tension; is snag-proof because the heavy weight on being caught, can be released, giving a slack line, tehooking the trigger; the trolling weight, carries at an angle to the rear of the "boat, thereby reducing possible snags; there are no steel springs to deteriorate'or rust; there is nothing to hold water to cause corrosion; any small hole sinker,

within the capacity of the trigger, may be used, or special sinkers may be made.

I claim:

1. A trolling harness for deep trolling with unweighted lures comprising a fishing lure and a leader therefor, a swivel connector for the leader, a two-part shock-absorbing trolling release, a weighted drag line, a line connecting the connector and the drag line adjacent the weighted end thereof, a fishing line connected to the trolling release, the drag line and the two-part release maintaining the lure with its leader at the desired trolling depth, the parts of the release being mutually displaceable upon the application of a predetermined tension to the leader, whereby to disconnect the leader and the drag line and transfer the tension on the leader directly to the fishing line.

2. A trolling harness for deep trolling with unweighted lures comprising, a fishing line, a lure and a leader therefor, a swivel connected to the leader, a bi-partite shock-absorbing trolling release connected to the swivel and to the fishing line, said shock-absorbing trolling release comprising a first wire member having a straight body section bent and coiled on itself at one end to form an eyelet and a lateral spring arm; a second wire member having an elongated body portion terminating at one end in an eyelet and offset at the other end to form a latch keeper, said keeper receiving the lateral spring arm in spring bearing engagement, the two said wire members being mutually displaceable, against the spring bias of said spring arm, by opposed pulls on the two wire members, and weighted drag line means connected to the eyelet of the second wire member of the release means and maintaining the trolling release and the attached lure at a desired trolling depth, said second wire member being automatically detached from the release upon application of a predetermined tension to the leader.

3. A trolling harness for deep trolling with unweighted lures comprising, a fishing line, a lure and a leader therefor, a swivel connected to the leader, a bi-partite shock-absorbing trolling release connected to the swivel and to the fishing line, said shock-absorbing trolling release comprising a first wire member having a straight body section bent and coiled on itself at one end to form an eyelet and a lateral spring arm; a second wire member having an elongated body portion terminating at one end in an eyelet and offset at the other end to form a latch keeper, the said keeper having its free end coiled about the body portion to form a journal bearing, a second, coiled wire keeper slidably engaging the body section, said bearing and said second keeper receiving the body portion of the first said Wire member in sliding locking engagement, and the said latch keeper receiving the lateral spring arm in spring bearing engagement, the two said members being mutually displaceable, against the spring bias of said spring arm, by opposed pulls on the two said members, and weighted drag line means connected to the eyelet of the second wire member of the release means and maintaining the trolling release and the attached lure at a desired trolling depth, said second wire member being automatically detached from the release upon application of a predetermined ten sion to the leader.

JOHN W. BAUM.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,645,874 Sanford Oct. 18, 1927 2,271,899 Miller Feb. 8, 1942 2,322,536 Miller June 22, 1943 2,520,562 Peeler Aug. 29, 1950 2,545,185 Winslow Mar. 13, 1951 2,562,054 Mathieu July 24, 1951 

